Sobriety Check
by the wicked muse
Summary: AU. Riddick and Jack have had a few happy years living on a remote planet and blending in... but what happens when Riddick gets antsy and starts back to his old ways. Will Jack put up with it? Or will she find a way to get his attention?


I sat in my room alone for twenty minutes wondering just how to handle my current situation. I wouldn't let the tears come though… I couldn't give myself that gratification. To cry meant I really had lost him. I was going to be strong and I wasn't going to start crying. He hasn't talked to me in two days straight. He hasn't even looked at me in 24 hours… and sex… well let's just say it's been a while in that department too. Things used to be so great… so passionate. He couldn't get enough of me. God the times we had, sometimes we wouldn't see daylight for two days, just our bed. Then one day… it all seemed to change. He started to go out once in a while, and then slowly stopped paying attention to me… then he was gone nearly all the time. I still don't know if it's him… or me… or perhaps someone else. What could I have done to make him treat me like this? I know he loves me, deep down I know he does… but sometimes I wonder if that's enough.

Journal entry dated March 14.

Her cell phone began ringing then.

 _Should I answer it? I know who it is already… and I'm not sure I'm prepared to talk to him. Not now._

The ringing stopped, but only for a few minutes.

 _Her phone rang again._

 _And again.._

"What?!" I know it was a little harsh, but I was annoyed and I knew he'd be drunk.

"Jack?"

"Who the fuck else would it be Riddick? Were you expecting someone else to answer my phone?"

"True…" The slur was apparent in his voice… which meant he'd been drinking for most of the day. "Hey baby, why don't you come to bar and join me?"

"Riddick…" she sighed, not really knowing how to get through to him "you're drunk"

"No I'm not"

I hung up the phone then. No warning… I knew it would piss him off, but lately that's the only way I can get any attention.

The phone started to ring again. I knew he was mad at me for hanging up on him… but what other way did I have of getting through to him when he drinks all day long. I figured I'd play this game my way.

"WHAT?!"

"What do you mean what? You hung up on me…" She could hear the anger in his voice… but she didn't care anymore. She made a sound somewhere between a grunt and laugh… "Maybe next time you call someone else will answer my phone, because I won't do it again" she spat and then hung up on him again.

It started to ring right away. She picked it up, and then hung it up. Then a look crossed her face and knowing that this was long overdue. With a smirk she threw the phone at the wall and chuckled as it shattered into tiny pieces.

"Try to call back now… bastard"

She got up then and crossed her room to her dresser. Like the intro to a rock song, her mood and mind changed in an instant. She pulled out her best outfit for wearing at night, threw that on the bead and headed towards the shower. Freshly showered and feeling ten times better she ran her hand a few times across the bathroom mirror to wipe away the fog, and smiled at herself. She looked good with wet hair… not to curly, but not dead straight either. Her complexion was a little worse for wear these days, but stress will do that to you. She grabbed the corset top and her favorite black jeans and dressed in a hurry. She knew he was on his way back… it might take him just a few moments longer to get home intoxicated, but she knew him well enough now to time it to the second. She put on some of her bright red lipstick, the kind that said she was looking for trouble…which she was. She wrote a note to Riddick and stuck it on the bedroom door with his spare pocket knife. With a scoff she kissed the paper leaving an imprint of her full red lips and took off

She knew the bar like the back of her hand… she'd spent so many lonely nights there. After a few trips the bartender began to be nice to her, and after the next few trips, starting flirting with her, and now she was usually able to get free drinks. There had been a few times when the free drinks flowed steady enough that she found herself in a battle of the tongues with the bartender. She walked in and saw the smile cross the bartender's face. She'd been toying with him for the last month, letting him know of her issues with Riddick and how her personal life was shot to shit. She let the smirk cross her face as she figured she'd spend the night with him tonight. For one, he actually paid her more attention then her live in boyfriend, and also, just to piss Riddick off. Jack knew Riddick had slept with other women, he told her about one instance and she put the rest of the puzzle together. The more time he spent away from her, the more she knew he was spending with someone else. The perfumes and liquor he smelled of had gone from varied to the same smells each time he came home. She figured it was time to return the favor.

Riddick struggled to get the key into the lock and grunted with satisfaction when he finally managed. He threw the door open like most drunk men trying to be manly will do… and found the apartment dark and silent… like most drunk men who've screwed up will find.

"Jack?" His voice seemed to echo through the apartment.

"Jack?! What the hell is going on?"

When there was no answer he moved through the apartment to the bedroom, hoping she had just gone to bed to avoid him. When he saw the white paper pinned to the door with a knife his heart skipped a beat thinking it might be some form of ransom note… but then he remembered that this was Jack… and she knows how to defend herself. It was then it hit him how little time he'd spent with her lately. He pulled the note from the door and flipped on the bedroom light.

 _Riddick-_

 _Since you feel so compelled to ignore me these days, I've_

 _gone out to find my own fun. Hope you like sleeping alone._

 _-Jack_

When his eyes fell on the bright red kiss under her name his fist closed on the paper crumpling it. He growled low in his chest as he realized that she'd gone out to find someone else to spend the night with. He had a pretty good idea of who it was too. She'd come home a few nights a week smelling of the bar and so Riddick had started to do the same. Now granted he knew that it was only fair play on her part, but this was his Jack… she wasn't supposed to want someone else… and the fact that he'd driven her to it only made things worse.

Jack sat at the bar like she owned the place. The bartender, Steve, waved a few drunken idiots off the bar and out onto the floor tables just so Jack could have the bar space she wanted. She watched him walk over to her with a smile on his face that said he was thinking things about her that weren't very appropriate… but then again, she was doing the same thing for him. She smiled a big inviting smile at him as he walked up to her.

"Hey Jackie babe"

"Hi Steveo" she said with a nice sultry tone to her voice. He picked up on it and smiled bigger.

"Drinking alone tonight?"

"Hmm… well now that depends"

"On what darling"

"On whether or not you're going to take me home tonight" she figured she'd best get to the point quickly before Riddick came storming in and ruined all her fun. When the door opened she was sure it was going to be Riddick, but as fate would have it… it was Steve's relief for the night.

"Well babe, looks like the next shift just walked in… give me five minutes and we'll be on our way." He winked at her as he strolled away.

Riddick stormed through the apartment, grabbed his coat and slammed the door hard enough to make the spider hiding in the eves run for cover. He knew where she'd be… he'd tracked her there before.

"I may be drunk, but I'm not stupid Jack" he mumbled to himself under his breath. He knew the route to the bar… it was the one he'd started out drinking in years ago… before they kicked him out for injuring the owner… in a fight he started. Riddick powered through the streets, not caring who he ran into, not concerned with the shouts from the passerby about his rudeness. His Jack was out there… most likely with someone else… and he didn't like that. His only fear was that he wouldn't get there in time to keep her from going home with… him. The last time he had to rescue Jack from wandering the streets completely piss drunk… he could smell the bartender all over her. This jackass had the courage to touch his Jack… and tonight he would pay. The one thing Riddick hadn't counted on, was the speed at which Jack was working tonight. She knew Riddick would come for her, but she'd gotten a quicker start than he'd anticipated and she was now two steps ahead of him… and Riddick had no clue about it. Oh what tangled webs we weave… and how sweet revenge can taste.

By the time Riddick reached the bar… Jack and Steve were long gone. Riddick stormed in with such a fury that the whole place went silent. He crossed to the bar, grabbed the tender by the collar of his shirt and stared him in the eye till the man nearly wet himself.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" he yelled at the man, his voice booming over the bar like thunder in a summer storm.

"Wh-where is wh-who?" The small man stuttered. His eyes were as wide as a deer in headlights.

Riddick waited for the small man to gain his senses… a rare occurrence for Riddick.

"She left… bout half an hour ago" said a man off to the right. Riddick turned his silver eyes towards the man that had spoken with a growl.

"You'll want to be letting my employee go now… Riddick" The owner of the bar said. He'd grown a larger set of balls since the last time Riddick had come in. Then again… anyone under police protection will grow a bigger set… even around Riddick. This man was untouchable now… and Riddick knew it..

Riddick's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man. "Where?"

"Took off with Steve about half an hour… and you aint getting the location of where they're at." The man smirked as Riddick released the small man's shirt and turned and headed out with as big a fury as he'd entered.

"Jackass" the owner of the bar muttered and went to check on the status of his new employee. "Don't mind him… he's pissy when he's drunk… but he can't touch you while you work here… and he knows it now." The owner's words were comforting to the small employee.

Riddick stood outside the bar and tried smelling the air to see if he could pick up on any lingering scent of Jack. He was NOT going to let her do this to him. As he took a deep breath he caught just the faintest glimpse of her smell… and she was aroused. He didn't know what pissed him off more… the fact that she was punishing him like this… or that some average Steve could get her so turned on. Just as he turned down the street to follow her fading scent he heard a rumble and crack of sound above him. "Shit" he mumbled as he picked up his pace and started to run. If it rained before he could track her he was shit outta luck. It took him another half an hour, but just as the rain began to fall… he found what he was looking for. As he kicked the door open he found… nothing. The room was empty. He was way too late to stop her, and even too late to catch her in the act. He felt defeated. The great Richard B Riddick had been outsmarted by the woman he loved. His heart sank and he walked away from the broken door with anger slowly rising in him. How could she do this to him? Hadn't he given her everything she asked for? Who the hell was she to play these games with him? She was his woman… not to be shared with anyone else. After six years of her being his girl, he expected a little more from her. He never took into account the fact that he was being a jackass and screwing around behind her back. Riddick headed home with a quick pace, hoping to catch her before she could reach the apartment. He had a few words for her… and she won't like what he had to say.

Jack and Steve had ventured out into the city like a pair of smitten kids… they couldn't keep their hands off each other. By the time they reached Steve's small little residence they were scantily clad and trying to consume each other from the mouth. Jack hadn't been drinking at all, but she still knew she wanted to do this. Riddick hadn't paid her any attention in this department for quite some time… and she needed this so bad right now. They ripped the remaining clothes off each other and Jack suddenly began to wonder what she'd wear to get home… as most of her clothes were now tatters of cloth. Having been used to Riddick's forcefulness, Steve seemed almost gentle in his ventures. Jack knew there was no time for foreplay as Riddick would be on her trial soon and she didn't want any harm to cometo Steve. As he finally managed to get his pants undone, Jack wrapped her legs around his waist and guided him into her. They both moaned as he slid all the way in. It had been almost two months since Riddick had made love to her and she'd grown a little tighter than usual. Steve seemed a perfect fit for her un-used body and she loved every sensation he was sending through her. She felt the lustful need rise in her body and encouraged him on by whispering sweet obscenities into his ear then biting on his neck. Steve knew his neighbors wouldn't be home so the fact that her back was being pounded into the wall was no concern to him. As he felt her bite down on his neck he rammed himself into her so hard he heard a picture on the other side of the wall fall to the floor. They continued fucking at their heightened pace until Jack felt all the anger, all the frustration, and all the lust she had held in for so long build to a crescendo. She began to yell louder with each pounding thrust that he made into her body, until she could take no more.

"Oh god Steve, don't stop…" she panted knowing she was so close to edge of her orgasm. "Fuck me… make me cum" she whispered into his ear as he grunted and pounded into her harder. She was going to have to learn to walk again after this, she just knew it.

Panting through her words and trying to hold out as long as possible she began to shout her enjoyment of him.

"Cum with me Steve…"

They both grunted twice more before she felt the wave crash over her and she screamed her orgasm. A second after she started to scream, Steve joined in. A few moments later they collapsed to the ground in a sweat covered tangled mess. Jack knew this wasn't the last time Steve would get lucky with her… Riddick had her heart, but Steve had her in his arms. As they tried to gain their breath back Jack let the guilty thoughts roll through her head, but the one thought that outweighed them all made her smile. _Drink all you want Riddick, you just lost the best thing you ever had_. _It's time for you to drown in my lost pain_.

Jack fought with her own thoughts and finally started to laugh. She knew they had to get moving or they'd be dead. Right about now… she was glad she'd destroyed her cell phone.

Jack tried the door as she reached home. Still locked. She'd reached home before Riddick. Steve was safely back at the bar, and she was home… before Riddick. He must have really drank hard tonight… because she never got the best of him. Tonight though… that would all change and he'd learn it the hard way. The apartment was in her name, so she knew he could do nothing to kick her out… but where she once belonged to him, he had never belonged to her. Riddick only ever belonged to himself. With a smile that said it all, she broke the spare key in the lock, stepped inside and turned the deadbolt.

"Let's see you get that open" she said to herself. She walked inside and felt a wonderful relief wash over her. She now had some leverage on him. She walked into the bedroom and looked at what she considered their shared life. She knew now that it was never shared, it was her life, and she'd let him into it. She gathered up a few of his clothes and sundries and threw them into a bag and set it down next to the front door. With a sigh she went in to start sweeping up the mess of her cell phone. Just as the broom made its first sweep she heard the first pounding on the door. It scared her… she didn't know why, but Riddick coming home scared her. He would never harm her on purpose, but something about the tone of his voice yelling her name through the door scared her. He was hurt… maybe not physically, but emotionally.

"JACK!" he yelled through the door. He tried his key and found the lock jammed. 'fuck' he muttered then began pounding on the door. "LET ME IN JACK!" he yelled at the door and then listened as he heard movement behind the door.

"No Riddick, not this time" she stated firmly.

"Jack baby, let me in, we need to talk."

"You're drunk Riddick."

"Yes. We still need to talk. Open. The. Door." He stated the last and punctuated it with a push on the door to let her know he meant business. He smiled when he heard the deadbolt turn. What he wasn't expecting was to see his Jack standing there, eyes on the verge of crying, holding out his duffel bag to him.

"Jack… what the hell is this?" Riddick said, suddenly feeling sober.

"I want you out." She said, her voice no longer shaky.

"What do you mean, out?" He said trying to step into the apartment, but Jack blocked the doorway entirely. Suddenly he saw her in a new light… she was stronger than him, but in different ways.

"Out of my life. You can't seem to make up your mind about me, so I'm making up my mind about you. You won't change Riddick."

"Jack, I-" he said, trying to plead with her now. He'd lost control of not only the situation, but of his life. He thought she was his girl, but she was throwing him out now… he didn't know what think anymore.

"Just don't Riddick. You won't change and right now, I can't have you in my life. Maybe one day… " she left it there with a sigh and dropped his bag on the doorstep. "Just go" was the last words she said to him before closing the door. Jack closed the door and waited until she heard him walk away… only then did she let herself break down and cry. She didn't want him to go, but she knew he needed to. He wouldn't change… and maybe someday she'd take him back. Just maybe… 

Riddick stood there for a moment processing what had just happened. He'd lost the best thing he ever had, and he'd been blind to it the whole time. He picked up his bag and walked away from the door deciding it might be for the best… he had a place he could stay, and knew the occupant would welcome him with open arms… and a little more. He'd get her back… he didn't know how, but he'd get his Jack back.


End file.
